I got to 9 games on the final day of the event, and here is my game-by-game summary.
My apologies if I didn't see your team, but I focused on far-away teams that I may or may not see during the season. Each of the 9 games featured at least one school that is more than 100 miles from Valencia.
Also, remember that I attended the July shootout as well, and some teams not covered in this event were covered in that one.
Oxnard 67, Imperial Valley 34:
Desean Scott scored 13 pts and added 6 rebs, 2 asts and a steal to lead Oxnard to an easy win in the first game of the day on court 1.
Oxnard broke the game open early, going on a 19-0 run to break an 8-8 tie and leading handily the rest of the way. It was 32-10 at the half and Imperial Valley never threatened to get back in the game.
Scott was the only player on either team to score in double figures. But a key to Oxnard's win was the defense of its starting backcourt; Daniel De Joya had 4 pts, 4 rebs, 4 asts and 7 steals, and Terrance Nunnery had 6 pts, an assist and 5 steals. In all Oxnard had 20 steals and forced 26 Imperial Valley turnovers.
For Imperial Valley, Davonnte Hicks scored 8 pts, and Brandon Martinez had 7 pts and a game-high 7 rebs.
West Hills 59, Santa Ana 47:
Anthony Zataray came off the bench to score a game-high 15 pts, and Stephen Glassco just missed a double-double with 9 pts and 9 rebs for West Hills in a win over Santa Ana.
The Falcons held a modest 4-point lead early in the second half when Zataray keyed a 12-0 run to put West Hills in control. His steal led to a slam dunk by Glassco, and he made back-to-back threes at the end of the run to push the Falcons' lead to 39-23.
Santa Ana got within eight points one last time when Kaleb Phillips made a three to make it 39-31, but never got any closer.
Zataray finished 5-for-7 from the floor, including a pair of threes, for his game-high 15 pts. Glassco had his 9 pts, the game-high 9 rebs, 2 asts and 4 steals. Stephon Gordon had 8 pts and a team-high 4 asts.
For Santa Ana, Jason Walker scored a team-best 13 pts, including 3 threes, and added 5 rebs, 3 asts and 2 steals. Mark Rodriguez had 8 pts and Phillips scored 7.
San Bernardino Valley 55, Las Positas 48:
Perris Hicks scored a game-high 16 pts while JaCardo Hawkins and Nino Jackson each scored 10 as San Bernardino Valley edged Las Positas on center court.
SBVC jumped out to a 16-5 lead in the game's first few minutes, and led by as many as 16 points at 38-22 early in the second half.
Las Positas battled back, cutting the deficit to six points following a 3-pointer by Ellis Salahuddin with 26.5 seconds remaining. But Hicks made three 2-point free throws in the final 25.4 seconds to secure the win for the Wolverines.
Hicks led all scorers with his 16 pts, which included a pair of threes, and he added 3 rebs, 4 asts and 2 steals. Hawkins just missed a double-double with his 10 pts and a game-high 9 rebs. Jackson also had 10 pts and Zach Rollins scored 7.
For Las Positas, Salahuddin - who played HS ball in Southern California at Serra HS and then Westchester - scored a team-high 15 pts, including 3 three-pointers, and dished out a game-high 6 asts while grabbing a team-high 3 steals. Cameron Moses scored 8 pts and McKayle Harnell had 7 pts and 2 asts.
Ventura 73, Mira Costa 55:
Jacob Alonzo scored 14 pts and Jamal Lewis scored 11 for Ventura in an 18-point win over Mira Costa.
Ventura scored the game's first 8 points, led, 15-4, a few minutes into the game and never trailed.
Mira Costa cut the deficit to four points at 22-18 after a 3-pointer by Mark Olejniczak late in the first half.
But Ventura pushed its advantage back to double digits to lead 29-18 late in the first half. Back-to-back threes by Timmy Garcia early in the second half pushed Ventura's lead to 37-25 and a putback slam by Trevor LaCount made it 44-39, and the Pirates led handily the rest of the way.
Alonzo, generously listed as standing 5-9, led Ventura with his 14 pts and, remarkably, tied for game-high with 7 rebs. The former Camarillo HS standout also added 2 asts and a steal.
Lewis had 11 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts, a block and a steal. Steven Bush had 9 pts on 3 threes, and Elijah Brown had 8 pts and a game-high 7 asts. Vita Faniel, whose older brother Vidal was one of Ventura's top players the last two seasons, had 8 pts and 7 rebs.
For Mira Costa, Buddha Boyd scored a game-high 18 pts and added 6 rebs, 2 asts and a steal. Cody Hicks scored 9 pts, including a pair of threes, and Aashad Womack had 9 pts and 6 rebs. Juwan Richardson came off the bench for 8 pts.
Saddleback 50, San Diego City 33:
The most-anticipated game of the day featured the defending state champion Gauchos at center court against the gigantic SD City Knights and their pair of 7-footers.
But Saddleback had little trouble winning the game. The Gauchos led, 25-14, in the first half. SD City scored the last six points of the half, but Saddleback started the second half with a 21-6 extended run to pull away.
Charles Trotter made his first six shots of the game for Saddleback, finishing with 14 pts on 6-for-7 from the floor. Josh Mishler had 11 pts and Daniel Young had 10. Brandon Fagins had 6 pts, 3 rebs and 3 asts.
For SD City, 7-footer Leonard Allen had 8 pts and 4 rebs, and Taylor Nelson had 8 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts and a steal. 6-10 forward Alex Wilbourn also scored 8 pts and grabbed 3 rebs. 7-1 Mike Feng came off the bench for 4 pts, 5 rebs and a blocked shot.
Mt. San Jacinto 45, Cerritos 44:
Kendall Brown scored 11 pts and Nick Pete had 4 pts, 6 rebs and 3 blocked shots as Mt. San Jacinto held on for a 1-point win over host Cerritos.
Mt. San Jacinto jumped out to a 13-3 lead and never surrendered that lead, but Cerritos came close a couple of times. The Falcons got within two points at 17-15 midway through the first half, but Mt. San Jacinto pushed its lead to 30-22 at the half.
In the second half, Mt. San Jacinto extended its lead to as many as 11 points at 37-26 following a 3-pointer by Devin Shallowhorn with just under nine minutes to play.
But Cerritos battled back again, drawing within a point when Dillon Reise made a 2-point free throw with 33.2 seconds left to make the score 45-44. After Mt. San Jacinto missed a free throw, Cerritos had 16-plus seconds in which to go for the win.
Jonathan Brown drove towards the basket for Cerritos, but Pete blocked his shot, with the ball going out of bounds with 9.1 seconds left. On the restart, the ball went to Reise, who had a good look at a 3-point shot. But the ball bounced off the rim just ahead of the final horn, allowing the Eagles to escape with the win.
Brown led the Eagles with his 11 pts. Roosevelt Adams came off the bench for 6 pts and a team-high 6 rebs. Tre Nottingham had 4 pts and a game-high 6 asts.
For Cerritos, Reise scored 11 pts and grabbed a team-best 6 rebs. Brian Nebo came off the bench for 10 pts, including a pair of threes, and 3 rebs.
Riverside 49, Porterville 48:
Sage Woodruff scored 14 pts, including a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 1:10 left that proved to be Riverside's final basket of the game as the Tigers held off Porterville for a 1-point win.
Riverside fell behind early as Porterville started the game with an 11-2 run. But Woodruff made a three to bring Riverside within a point at 19-18 and then put the Tigers ahead, 20-19, by scoring on a putback with 3:25 left in the first half.
The rest of the way, the lead went back and forth with neither team able to gain the advantage. The score was tied at 46 when Woodruff made his second 3-pointer of the game, which proved to be the difference.
Dale Kirkland scored on a putback slam for Porterville with 37.2 seconds left to make it 49-48, and the Pirates got the ball back again in the final seconds. Travis Flagg, who had already shot five 2-point free throws in the game, drove into the lane. But there was no whistle and his shot bounced off the rim. He got the rebound and shot again as the buzzer sounded, but that try also missed, and Riverside escaped with the win.
Woodruff led Riverside with his 14 pts and was the only Tiger to score in double figures. Quvando Johnson came off the bench and made all three of his shot attempts, all of which were 3-point tries, for 9 points. Antonio Mayfield had 5 pts and 4 rebs. In all, 17 players saw the court for Riverside.
Flagg led all scorers with his 17 pts for Porterville, and he also had 2 rebs, 3 asts and 2 steals. Kirkland came off the bench for 4 pts and a game-high 6 rebs.
Cuesta 47, Palomar 39:
Mathijs Van der Mars scored 12 pts and Kerem Aydan Ozel came off the bench for 9 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts and 4 steals as Cuesta posted an 8-point win over Palomar.
Cuesta led most of the game, taking a 19-10 lead in the first half and never trailing again. Palomar got within a point at 26-25 early in the second half, but then Cuesta went on a 12-3 run to restore the double-digit lead, and the Cougars led comfortably the rest of the way.
Van der Mars led the winners with his 12 pts, and he also had 2 rebs, 2 asts and 2 steals. Ozel had 9 pts, the team-high 3 asts and the game-high 4 steals. Ryan Hammink had 5 pts and a game-high 5 rebs.
For Palomar, Spencer Benson scored a game-high 17 pts and added 2 rebs, 3 asts and a steal. Trevon Lampkin scored 11 pts, including three 3-pointers.
Desert 58, Orange Coast 55:
William Brown scored 18 pts, including a tie-breaking 3-pointer in the final minute as Desert overcame a monster game by Orange Coast's Jamaal Lee for a 3-point win in the final game of the day.
Desert rallied from a 20-17 halftime deficit to take a lead early in the second half. A 2-point free throw by Zach Waites gave the Roadrunners a 40-32 lead midway through the half.
Orange Coast battled back to tie the score at 51, and it was tied again at 53 when Brown made his game-winning 3-pointer. Aidan Ptasznik made a 2-point free throw for Orange Coast with 32.5 seconds left. But Gabe Solache answered with a jumper for Desert to make it 58-55 and close out the scoring.
Brown's 18 pts led COD, and he also had a team-high 6 rebs. Solache had 11 pts and 5 asts. Kameron Dashner scored 10 pts for the Roadrunners, and Ilijah Johnson had 8 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asts and 3 steals.
For Orange Coast, Lee had game-highs of 21 pts and 18 rebs, three times the total of the next-highest rebounder in the game and nearly as many as Desert had as a team. Kyle Lawson added 9 pts on two 3-point field goals and a 3-point play.
